The Pulse of Awakening (RPG)

[kodster]

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GUNROD

The dwarf's loud voice carries through the darkness. Now, if there were anyone in the accursed darkness who could have heard Gunrod's voice, they would admire it. For Gunrod's people were gifted vocalists as well! Even the particular diatribe he was spouting seemed like a fountain of musical talent! However, no one heard him. He did not mind, nor did he expect an audience.

But the journey for Gunrod isn't so easy. Dwarves can see well enough in the dark, but not total dark, and it soon enshrouds him. Every so often there would be cracks in the floor, and some fissures that he would have to jump over. But he doesn't stop singing! Nothing can get this Dwarf down!

About an hour's journey of stumbling through the dark, he finally comes to a dead end. There is nothing indicating an entrance, or even a further passageway. Stamping on the ground gives no echo, so the ground is solid beneath him. Gunrod pauses to think.

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UNAROSHI

"Right, hm?" remarks Viluy. "Well, whether the choice is right is up in the air. Let's go."

They dash to the right and pull open the automated door. After some effort, they manage to close it again. The room is deserted, but there are several things in the room worth detail.

Before they can glance at these objects, however, there are heavy thuds and footfalls. Unaroshi looks at the woman, who puts a finger to her mouth in a "shh"-ing gesture. The nanobots stop glowing and the light is extinguished. In the total dark, they can hear metallic voices.

"The intruder Byruit is ours," hisses a high-pitching buzzing voice. "This level only has one exit. The human must be here somewhere. Search all the passages and rooms! Now! I shall investigate with this one..."

One set of footfalls get even heavier, but others fade away. Viluy tenses, ready to strike.

The door rattles a little, and then splits open again. And light pours in... from a horrible shape.

It resembles an anthropod, specifically a euryptid, but each of its legs end in spiked claws, and its tail splits off into 5. Its head is almost exactly that of a xenomorph, except it actually has eyes. This head is attached to a humanshaped upper-body that sprouts from the front of the anthropod, making it almost look like a mutant centaur. And of course, it only resembles these things since it is a machine, its metallic armour coating it, and its innards working away, calculating. The light that it gives off is lurid green and comes from several rings on the anthropod's mid to rear body.

"Come out, come out," hisses the voice again. It can't see them. But it's blocking the door completely, so there's no way out.

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SAKER

After rifling through the schematics some more, Saker manages to access some hidden information. She rifles with the image's controls for a while and then makes a startling discovery. She has just found the aims of whomever runs this place.

Mission Statement
To eradicate the entire human race, and the Cosmic Collective and their home planet of Olandaar, and eventually conquer every corner of existence.

Checklist
- Elimination of the star known as The Sun.
- Eradication of 99.925% of humanity. Approximately 550,000 left to eliminate.

To Do
- Promote Avarice to 1st-degree.
- Locate and execute Byruit.
- Resume ongoing interrogation of Arrivals.
- Execute unwilling Arrivals.
- Execute all slaves, post-eradication of humanity.
- Locate the Collective planet of Olandaar.
- Locate the Illuxion home planet to harness their energy.
- Activate the remaining control rooms, and eradicate all threats.

Saker stares at this information. Without further ado she hastily tries to locate the other members of her group, and finds most of them within the main room, on Vector A. One is moving down to Vector C. Then she tries to find out where she is, and finds herself in Vector 9E, scores of levels down past Vector A. She is in an abandoned control room, and reading further, she learns it was taken by some deceased members of the Cosmic Collective. Deceased, because the machines had taken it back and killed them, very recently. But the machines, for some reason, avoid the place. Saker wonders why. Perhaps their spirits watch over this place...

With a clearer mind, Saker plans her next move.

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MIRA

The machines take Mira down to an empty room on Vector C. With the exception of two protruding panels from the ground and ceiling, it appears completely empty.

"Go between the Regeneration Modules," drones one of the robots.

With nervousness, the Illuxion obeys, and suddenly a beam goes between the two, striking Mira in-between. Mira yells out as this happens, but as s/he does, s/he starts to feel incredible energy pour into him/her.

"Hey... hey, this is... this is great!" exclaims the Illuxion. "So... how long will this take?"

Instead of answering Mira, though, the robots suddenly turn their backs on him/her and start to leave.

"HEY! What are you doing?!" the Illuxion shouts after them, but suddenly finds that s/he can't move. Mira is trapped in the beam of energy.

"We will return when you are fully energized. You are not ready yet," is the only answer Mira gets as the door shuts between them.

Well, this was bad. Trapped in an empty room, and further trapped between beads of light...

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SHEPARD AND MAXINE

There was a chorus of clicking at Shepard's words, as though several thousand Van-der-Graf models were clinking all at once. Shepard didn't like that at all, it was far too omnious for a situation like this.

"Very well," the looming figure of Avarice intoned. "It shall not take long, we assure you."

"Okay, and after we're done hunting down your little darling, what else do you want of us?!" snarls Maxine. Shepard facepalmed; this attitude was not going to help.

"That remains to be seen," huffed the T-900.

"You will, however, submit your overall purposes to us, since you have Arrived here," hisses Avarice. "Arrivals are trespassers, whatever their will, and we do not take kindly to their appearances without warning. Speak."

This was getting dangerous.

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You have decisions to make, folks.